Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia
The sun reigned its superiority in the clear, blue sky—sprinkling its golden magic down below where an abundance of herbs and vegetables eagerly danced in harmonic convergence.
The rice fields stretched for as far as the eye can see, its unusual geographical texture mirroring that of the giant waves of the vast, blue ocean. From a distance, numerous silhouettes that belonged to the mountainous valleys towered over the agricultural land—it's stoic presence intimidating those who are not yet familiar with the exotic region.
In the outskirts of the Royale Kingdom, though not too far away from the crop grounds and past the reddish-brown waters that exclusively belonged to the Red River was a large estate.
Made out of solid stone and brick, this certain estate was famous throughout the kingdom for its enthralling beauty.
In the front of the estate was a stone fence in which extended beyond the entrance and to the nearby woodlands. The backyard, on the other hand, was donned with livestock and bountiful greenery.
At the very heart of the area was a wishing well. Despite how trivial it was in comparison to the other features that majorly contributed to the estate, this wishing well was the pride and joy of the aristocratic family that currently lived here.
Unlike the other estates, this one was oddly different than the rest in the area.
This place was believed to be one of the designated homes of a candidate.
In the Royale Kingdom, individuals who receive similar fates as the characters (specifically princesses and princes) written in fables were said to be destined to play these roles.
Regardless of their gender, ethnicity or social class—so long as they were confirmed as eligible, they were strictly bound to relive the enchanting experience. However, what was to become of their character was a mystery.
Therefore, this estate is special because it was home to a maiden who holds such fate.
And her name was—
"Miss Lien!"
Hearing this, the young woman flinched from her spot, her ears perked up by the call of her name. Peering over her shoulder, her amber eyes widened upon recognizing the silhouette of her housemaid approaching her. "There are people here to come greet you!" She cried aloud while raising her left arm to perform a wave.
In response, Lien dipped her chin and frowned. Taking note of her sudden discomfort, the curly blonde haired female grinned. "If it makes you feel any better, ma'am, they're just common folk."
Looking back up, Lien nodded. Gripping the handle of her basket filled with eggs, she silently walked toward her maid.
"Oh, let me help you out with that," The maid insisted as she proceeded to reach out both her arms to take the basket away.
Stopping in her tracks, Lien shook her head. "You don't have to," She assured before quickly adding in, "And you don't have to be so formal either. Aren't we friends, Bel?"
The maid called Bel blinked. Seconds later, she burst out in laughter. "Of course we are!" She cried, flashing a toothy grin. "But as the house maid, I also have to take my responsibilities seriously." Nudging her friend on the shoulder, she continued, "Come, let's go and say hi to them."
Lien giggled at her friend's childish antics. "All right." She said, "Why don't you lead the way?"
Nodding eagerly, Bel turned around and started taking a couple of steps forward. "By the way, what's with those eggs?" She asked, changing the topic of their conversation.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Lien opened her mouth to speak up, "Abel said that he ran out of them and so, I volunteered to go get some."
"You didn't have to do that," Bel advised her, her attention fixated on the road before them.
"I know but I wanted to," Lien reasoned, "It's the least I could do anyway to express my gratitude to you both."
Suddenly, Bel skidded to a halt. With the use of her free hand, she formed thumbs up. "It's no wonder you were selected as a candidate, Lien," She babbled away, "You're always so sweet and sincere to us! Oh, I hope you get a happily ever after! You definitely deserve it!"
All Lien could do was force out a smile. Unknown to her companion, Lien's grip onto the handle tightened.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away…
This was the sentence in which Lien Kim Nguyen loved to recite when she was a child.
Fairytales were her escapes and as much as she was shy to admit, Lien had quite the collection of them stored in her bedroom drawer, tucked in with the other odds and ends that deprived of her childhood.
Lien was no different than the rest of the other girls in the world, who too wished to fit in the same idealistic scenarios—to be with their beloved and live happily ever after…
And then it happened.
Days after the death of her beloved mother, the Royale Kingdom suddenly announced that she—Lien Kim Nguyen—was a candidate.
Because of this, people would frequently flock over to Lien's home and offer her blessings.
Oh, if only they knew what she was forced to go through.
Who knew that the dream you've always wanted can also be your worst nightmare?
Due to her position, Lien was forced to be under supervision by the servants of her estate—anywhere she goes, their job was to follow after. As a result, she was never to leave the household and explore the outside world. Most importantly and much to her dismay, she was never to engage in any interactions with anyone—specifically the opposite sex.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone.
Shortly after Lien's eligibility was established, several days passed and there were multiple reports of others who, too were confirmed to be candidates as well. Though the information somehow eased her a bit, on the inside, it still haunted her.
In the next few weeks, Lien would turn twelve-years-old, the age when she'll be notified of which fairytale she was destined to live through for the rest of her life.
Be it getting locked in the tallest tower or eat a poison apple, one thing's for sure—the possibilities were endless and that alone made Lien terrified of what was to become of her.
Until she met him—
Stunning, blue eyes and fair skin that she thought had only existed in fictional stories.
Blonde hair that he inherited was as bright and warm as the smile he wore on the first day they met—
A smile that he proudly proclaimed was, 'only for her.'
—and nothing was the same again.
Hello, everyone! It's 4eyedstargazer again!
Now, this is a fanfiction story that's going to be completely different from my previous success, World Goes 'Round. If any of you were able to get a chance to read my 'Cinderella' draft I had accidentally posted here a few months ago, from this day onward, this is official (and rest assured, Cinderella is one of the fairy tales that will be included).
At the same time, this fanfiction will also be mixed with the same elements as a prompt that one of my fans, madisoncamellia requested as well as with some musical elements (sorry, I just really love music themes!) — however, this is my own retelling of it with a beautiful twist of many twists (and believe me, you are in for another rollercoaster!)
Similar to World Goes 'Round, I will also focus a bit more on Ameviet and if possible, maybe throw in a couple of implied couples as well if I could. However, there won't be a lot of cameos of other characters from the series as before so please bear with me!
For now, this story is meant to be short but if given good ratings and reviews like its predecessor, who knows?
...I will also have to note that the next future chapters won't be quickly updated compared to World Goes 'Round. Please keep this in mind as in the next few days, I will have to focus on my studies. Thank you!